Breslin faces sole primary challenger

Fear is what Carney believes drove Martland to review his signatures and force him out based on technicalities.

"He was scared of me as an opponent," he said. "I felt that I had better name recognition and better ideas. He hopes there's enough voter discontent, that just despite nobody knows who he is, they would vote for him."

Carney, who calls himself a community activist and businessman, said he believes it is impossible for people other than lawyers, such as Martland, to successfully run for any office.

"It's just disheartening that we have to come to this point, that the lawyers are in control," he said. "The average citizen can no longer participate in the system."

After the decision, McDonough sympathized with Carney as he called the election laws a "complicated and Byzantine process," but added that Carney should have had a lawyer on retainer.

In a released statement, Martland expressed his gratitude toward McDonough for ordering Democratic Party Board of Election Commissioner Matthew Clyne to provide evidence that Carney's signatures were valid.

"I am gratified that Judge McDonough ordered the Board of Elections to provide their evidence and that the Board finally agreed with us that a significant number of Carney's signatures were invalid," Martland said in the release.

Martland spokesman Larry Sombke said after reviewing the signatures submitted by Carney they discovered he did not have enough valid signatures to be on the ballot. He declined to comment on statements made by Carney as well as statements made by McDonough. He added they will now focus on the issues and will run a "very active campaign."